ControlOperator

As to the question: "Does a licensee need to babysit a tracker?", the short answer per FCC rules is "no".

A careful read of the rules will set people straight. It's not as straightforward as one would think.

People have gone round and round on this subject for years on APRSSIG. Read the rules and make up your own mind about what the FCC requires. Don't take any armchair lawyer's word for it, as it's your license on the line, not theirs.

A more detailed answer:

It depends a bit on how the station is set up.

If the person(s) accompanying the tracker cannot change any parameter of the transmitter other than power on/off, then you're within the FCC rules. Enclosing the transmitter or transceiver inside another box so that no controls were available, or "locking" the radio so that nobody can mess with the settings, should steer you clear of possible violations.

If the person can change the power level, modulation method frequency, or grab a microphone and "play around", then you'd be in violation of the rules if that person exercised any of that control.

A completely unattended tracker or digipeater is within the rules as well.

A control operator must be able to exercise that control over the device, but there's nothing in the rules that specifies the time lag allowed to exercise that control. Also, the control operator can talk to an unlicensed person who has physical access to the tracker to tell them to turn the device ON or OFF. This command from the control operator to an unlicensed person may be done over telephone, megaphone, cell-phone, FRS, GMRS, CB, what-have-you.

Please see the thread titled "Re: Newbie Questions, is Ham license required?" from the TinyTrak list that occurred on October 9th, 2007. One could also peruse the APRSSIG mailing list and find threads at least twice a year that cover this issue.

<Opinion>
People who have not studied the FCC rules tend to think that you need a licensed amateur to actually be with the APRS tracker.
</Opinion>

The FCC defines "automatic control" in section 97.3(a)(6) as: "The use of devices and procedures for control of a station when it is transmitting so that compliance with the FCC Rules is achieved without the control operator being present at a control point."

From: Mike Musick
To: <aprssig@tapr.org>
Subject: Re: Question on beacons
Steve writes:
> I note that people are using beacons which transmit from an
> unattended situation. Do the FCC regulations now allow one
> to transmit in this manner, without a station operator present
> nor a supervisory remote control link?
Yes, and the answer is:
97.221 Automatically controlled digital station.
(b) A station may be automatically controlled while
transmitting a RTTY or data emission on the 6m or shorter
wavelength bands, and on... [numerous HF segments].
and:
97.109 Station control.
(d) When a station is being automatically controlled, the
control operator need not be at the control point.
...[qualified station types, which includes the above]
So we're covered.
...mike/N0QBF (Official Observer)